June 1, 2012

May was a busy month for our family. I went back to work full time, celebrated my 33rd birthday, enjoyed family visiting for the first half of the month, celebrated Mother's Day, and Paul and I are learning to balance our new need for childcare with a baby while we gear up for summer.

Paul's parents came up for two weeks to watch Asher and spend an
abundant amount of time with Sage, Haven and Xavier. They helped us out
in so many ways we couldn't have imagined. It was wonderful having
family close for a little while and feeling taken care of by others for
the first time in....maybe ever since we became parents. Thanks Paul
and Sharon!!!! Haven loves spending time with her Yomo. She is sad she's gone. One of her favorite things to do with her is read stories.

We were able to celebrate Mother's Day together by going out to a restaurant. The kids had their own booth and felt all grown up. They didn't want us to order for them or help them in any way with the waitress. They wanted to be big on their own since they had their own table...but don't forget the crayons!

For Mother's Day we got outdoors. We walked on a boardwalk that is about 4 miles round trip. The kids were troopers because they knew it was what I wanted to do for the day.

We haven't figured out the family photo thing yet. With so many people in our family almost every photo we take now someone is blinking, moving, not looking...it's quite comical.

We ended our Mother's Day with some yummy oatmeal cake. I tend to not like very many desserts that kids are fond of or know about so I didn't know what the kids would think of this. They LOVED the coconut topping.

While Paul's parent's were here their Yomo gave them piano lessons. It was a unique way for Sage and Haven to spend time with their grandma. Xavier wasn't that interested.

Asher also got to spend time with his grandma. He LOVES books. He has for awhile now. Check it out.

Our family is SUPER proud of Xavier this month. He was in a running competition at school and won! He said it was his goal to win the mile run. He even jogged with me a couple times to get ready for the race. Paul and I are in awe of how much his body has healed and grown since his surgery and what he is capable of doing now. He is planning on being on track next school year because he says when he runs he feels like he's flying. Congrats Xavier!!!!!

Asher has learned how to pet Clover. It is really sweet watching him reach out to feel her fur over and over again.

I made some spring time treats with the kids. They love these bird nest cookies. Just butterscotch chips melted down with some jelly beans and chow mein noodles and they were in heaven making them, eating them, and guessing what flavor of egg (jelly bean) they put in their mouth.

We also made rainbow treats (AKA rice krispie treats). The marshmallows were the clouds, the butter the sunshine, the rice krispies the rain and the sprinkles made the spring rainbow. CHEESY I know but the kids dig my cheesiness with baking and dessert making.

Asher has been trying out all kinds of food. He's had peas, carrots, sweet potato, squash, green beans and avocado. We didn't think we'd start him on food until six months but he started grabbing our plates, opening his mouth when we put food on our fork or spoon, and would just stare at us at we ate. We gave it a whirl and he LOVES eating. The kids have fun taking turns feeding him. They get a little impatient and want him to eat more quickly but they do a pretty good job.

This is just my cute little baby boy and one of the many smiles I get to see from him daily. He is a happy kid.

Since he's getting so big, Yomo and Numo spoiled Asher with some new clothes. So cute in orange..and with his Papa.

Asher is a little cuddle bug in the morning. He wakes up happy and will hang out in bed with Paul and I for over an hour. He plays with our hair, face, hands, bed sheets, pillows. It is a very sweet time for us.

At the end of the month we had a beautiful day that felt like summer. I've been wanting to take a long bike ride into town with the boys and the weather and our schedules finally allowed it to happen. We live about 12 miles from town and in the last few months a restaurant opened up closer to us. We pass by it almost every day and decided to ride our bikes there and get brunch. The boys and I set off and road 7 miles together to the restaurant. It was a much easier ride than I expected and the boys followed the busy road rules wonderfully. They are getting to be such responsible kids.

We ate outside in the sunshine. Sage ordered yummy bacon waffles and Xavier ate a breakfast for a grown man. Afterward we rode home together. You'd think that 14 miles would tucker them out. NOPE!!! They were still full of energy at the end of the day.